1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
In a prior art apparatus of this type, for example, a facsimile machine, when a calling party intends to call a called party by telephone, he/she has to execute facsimile reception if a line is used exclusively for facsimile and an auto-receive mode has been set in the called station.
In order to avoid the above inconvenience, means for automatically determining whether a calling terminal is telephone or facsimile is provided in a called terminal, and if it is the telephone, some message is sent back to the calling terminal and the called party is called simultaneously, or a mode to record a calling party's message is established. A device for recording the calling party's message may be a memory IC for short time recording or a micro-cassette for long time recording.
However, in the apparatus of the type in which the called party is called in response to the telephone call by the calling party, if the called party is absent, the calling party cannot leave any message to the called party in spite of the usage of the line.
Even if the facsimile machine of the called party has a function to record the message of the calling party, the same inconvenience may take place if the recording device has been exhausted.
A facsimile machine which detects a call from a line to automatically start communication has been known.
In prior art automatic receive control, an operation of the apparatus or a set status is determined, and if the receiving operation is permitted, the receiving operation is started. On the other hand, if the recording operation is not permitted because no record sheet is set or because no record sheet is set and substitution reception is not permitted due to fullness of substitution reception memory, the telephone set is rung to initiate manual receiving operation.
However, even if the telephone set is rung when the receiving operation is not permitted because of no record sheet, there will be no response if an operator is absent, and the facsimile communication is not attained. The operator at the sending terminal cannot recognize a cause for disability of communication.
Since the called party cannot receive the information, he/she may loose an important business opportunity because of lack of important information.
In a prior art image communication apparatus such as a facsimile machine, a telephone number or abbreviation thereof is sent to a destination station by using a facsimile protocol signal, and it is recorded on a record sheet at the receiving station or stored as communication control information. In the receiving station, the telephone number or abbreviation thereof of the sending station is recorded as header information, and the telephone number or abbreviation thereof stored as the communication control information is recorded in a form of report as required.
In the prior art apparatus, however, the information derived from the protocol signal is not used in a manner other than record output nor is it reused as new communication information. As a result, a scope of utilization of the available information is limited.
Patents relating to the auto-reception include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,677,660; 4,800,439; 4,815,121; 4,823,375; 4,837,806; 4,916,607; 4,907,094; and 4,932,048.
However, there has been no proposal for the solution of the above problems.